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Star Trek parodies and pop culture references
Over the years, Star Trek's position as a cultural icon has resulted in many parodies of it on other television shows and movies. While some have been subtle tip-of-the-hat references, others have been complete copies, with the intention to reference Star Trek. Austin Powers Although the movies are a parody of various James Bond films, the so-called "Fembots" are a parody of the androids seen in TOS: "I, Mudd". They are even described as "the latest in android replicant technology". In the second movie of the trilogy, a scene involving time travel also pokes fun at Trekkies' notorious reputation for analyzing seemingly inconsequential continuity errors. Doctor Evil travels back in time from the 1990s to 1969 in order to steal Austin Powers' "mojo" while Powers is cryogenically frozen. When the future Austin realizes his mojo is gone and is about to be sent back in time to stop Doctor Evil, he and Basil Exposition have the following exchange: Austin: So, Basil, if I travel back to 1969 and I was frozen in 1967, I could go look at my frozen self. But, if I'm still frozen in 1967, how could I have been unthawed in the 90's and traveled back to the Sixties? Oh, no, I've gone cross-eyed. Basil: I suggest you don't worry about those things and just enjoy yourself. (turns to camera): That goes for you, too! Beavis and Butt-head In the 1995 episode "Dream On", of the television show Beavis and Butt-head, the main characters, Beavis and Butt-head, have a dream where they portray the roles of William T. Riker and Jean-Luc Picard, respectively. One line recalled from the episode, spoken by Butt-head was, "Number One, I order you to take a number two." Pavel Chekov inexplicably is running conn. * See: Boston Legal Boston Legal is a legal dramedy currently airing on ABC. The series stars James T. Kirk actor William Shatner in his Emmy-winning role as egotistical and sometimes senile attorney Denny Crane. Also starring in the series is Rene Auberjonois of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fame. Given Shatner's (and possibly Auberjonois's) association with Star Trek, several Trek-related in-jokes have crept into the series. "Finding Nimmo" In this episode, Denny takes his friend and fellow attorney, Alan Shore (played by James Spader), to Nimmo Bay in Canada to get over a recent break-up. While staying the night in a cabin, Alan reads a book on sea lice and explains to Denny that the lice are called "cling-ons." Denny replies to this by asking "Did you say "Klingons?" "The Cancer Man Can" Denny receives a new cell phone as a gift from his new girlfriend (played by Star Trek: Enterprise guest actress Joanna Cassidy). When Denny flips the phone open, it makes the chirping sound of an original series communicator. *See Diagnosis: Murder On the television show Diagnosis: Murder, there have been at least two major parodies/major references to Star Trek. The first was in the episode "Alienated", in which case one of the main characters, "Jesse Travis", believes he was abducted by aliens. He is then pursued by a local top secret government agency official (played by George Takei) he is sure he is on to something. When he goes to a support group for people who have had encounters (led by a character played by Majel Barrett, also featuring a character played by Grace Lee Whitney), he meets another fanatical, who is sure the government is after the two of them (played by Walter Koenig) Also featured in the episode is Wil Wheaton, who plays the character of "Gary Barton". In the 1996 episode "Murder by the Book", after Jeri Ryan had joined the cast of Star Trek: Voyager, she played murder suspect Melissa Barnes. At the end of the episode, she is present at the marriage of a main character over the radio waves, to the characters husband in the navy serving aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which to get over static, the characters all scream loudly "ENTERPRISE!". Family Guy Family Guy is an animated show run on the Fox network, created by Seth MacFarlane. Because MacFarlane is a huge fan of Star Trek, this series often parodied the series. "I Never Met the Dead Man" and Uhura appear on Family Guy.]] :Captain's Log, Stardate 8169.7. The [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|''Enterprise]] has just discovered a strange new planet in the Gamma Faloppia Star System. Mr. Sulu, ahead warp 9.'' In "I Never Met the Dead Man" (originally aired April 11, 1999), the character of Peter Griffin was watching Star Trek: The Original Series, which featured an overly excited James T. Kirk, whose exaggerated mannerisms ended with his pants ripping to reveal "Captain's Log" written on his underwear. When Peter's daughter, Meg, asked him to teach her how to drive, Peter told his daughter that he loved her, but he also loved Star Trek -- "and in all fairness, Star Trek came first." The family pet, a highly-intelligent, talking dog named Brian, then suggested that Peter may not be the best person to teach Meg how to drive, to which Peter proclaims that he would be the perfect teacher as he doesn't miss anything. He then makes the new observation, "Holy crap! Uhura's black?" Later, Peter watches another Star Trek episode. Lampooning the redshirts, Kirk forms a landing party: : Kirk: All right, men. This is a dangerous mission. And it's likely one of us will be killed. The landing party will consist of myself, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Ensign Ricky. : Ricky: ''Ah, crap. At the end of the episode, Meg, who still has trouble driving, accidently runs over the actor William Shatner, with whom Peter had become friends. A crowd forms around the body, and out of the crowd Ensign Ricky proclaims, "I did not see that coming." "Emission Impossible" In "Emission Impossible," originally aired November 8, 2001, Majel Barrett supplies the computer voice of Stewie Griffin's Fantastic Voyage-esque craft. (For the record, this episode also featured the voice of Wallace Shawn.) "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein," an episode of Family Guy originally unaired on the Fox network due to its perceived controversial content, had William Shatner (voice of Seth McFarlane) acting in the play "Fiddler on the Roof". He was using Kirk's mannerisms, which were again exaggerated. After delivering a hasty line of dialogue, he pauses and screams out "Khan!", just as Kirk did in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The scream is then heard a second time, outside the theatre. "Peter's Got Woods" Yet another episode, "Peter's Got Woods" (originally aired September 11, 2005), guest starred Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes and Patrick Stewart reprising their roles as Worf, William T. Riker and Jean-Luc Picard, respectively. In their scene Picard leans over to Riker and asks him if he would join in a laugh if Picard said that Worf's forehead looks like a fanny. Riker responds that he will so Picard say it very loud eliciting a laugh from the entire bridge crew. Worf gets angry and tells Picard to "suck his ridges" and the scene ends. If this had actually happened it would have had to take place between 2365 and 2366 because it shows Wesley Crusher, in his gray uniform he only wore those two years, as a part of the bridge crew. Worf was referred to as "commander", however he would have been a lieutenant at the time. The conn and operations consoles were reversed in position (unless Wesley was manning ops for some reason). Also, the rank insignia were on the incorrect side of the uniforms. "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story!" In the direct-to-DVD "movie" Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story!, Rene Auberjonois supplied the voice of Odo in a scene that parodied Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In the scene, Stewie mentions his cousin, Quark Griffin, who is shown being harrassed by Odo, before Quark tells him to morph into a character with a personality. * See: Futurama Futurama is an animated show run on the Fox network from 1999 to 2003, created by Matt Groening, which parodized the gamut of the science fiction genre. Aside from the regular Star Trek actors who appeared as themselves, who appeared below, two other Star Trek guest performers provided voices on Futurama. These performers include Sarah Silverman and Bumper Robinson. "Space Pilot 3000" This episode features the voice talents of Leonard Nimoy. "Anthology of Interest I" This episode features the voice talents of Nichelle Nichols appearing as herself in a 2260s-era Starfleet uniform. "That's Lobstertainment!" During the Emmy Awards, one of the categories awarded included the "Best Product Placement." Of the three placement nominationed, the first was entitled "Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation," showing a still image of Spock holding a can of Pepsi. "Three Hundred Big Boys" In the episode, Crewman Kif (the Vulcan-esque aide to Captain Zapf Brannigan, who is an obvious Shatner-esque clone) is imprisoned on Commander Riker's Island (Which was apparently a rename of the actual prison named Ryker's Island). "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" casualty "Welshie", killed by Melllvar. (Futurama)]] While some could argue that all of Futurama is a parody of Star Trek, this is epitomized in the episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before", a title which parodies "Where No Man Has Gone Before". The episode featured the voice talents of all of the original cast, with the exceptions of DeForest Kelley, who has passed away, and James Doohan, who refused to be a part of the show. DeForest Kelley did appear in the episode, but did not speak. Doohan was replaced by Welshie for the Star Trek Musical, as he could not yodel (This was simultaneously a gag based on the "fake Jan" who replaced an unwilling Eve Plumb in "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour", in 1977). The antagonist of the story was Melllvar, a cloud creature that was animated using a similar effect as the Companion (see photo). The episode also featured a brief voice appearance by Jonathan Frakes. Also see: * . * The Neutral Planet: Futurama In Words, which contains the transcript for "Where No Fan Has Gone Before." Galaxy Quest The entire movie is really a parody of Star Trek. It's about a group of actors who used to be on a Trek style TV show. They tour the country going to conventions when they are caught up in an actual galactic war, which pits a barbaric species against one that has modeled their entire culture off broadcasts of the old television series. * See: [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0177789/ Galaxy Quest] at the Internet Movie Database * Hick Trek Produced by ATOZ Films in the 1980's, this white-trash parody of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" played at conventions for years until a "Special Edition" version, with added effects, was released on video in 1999. The Redneck Federation Starship RSS Bovine battles spacefaring cats. In Living Color The Wrath of Farrakhan Former calypso singer and Nation of Islam leader Louis Farra'khan' (played by Damon Wayans boards the Enterprise to liberate the ship's crew from their Anglo-Saxon captain (played by Jim Carrey). When the desperate Kirk pleads with science officer Spock, "What are we going to do?", the Vulcan responds "What do you mean...we?...Caucazoid?" Spock reminds the captain that, as a Vulcan, he is the strongest and most intelligent member of the crew, yet is still second in command. "..and I'm a better director than you." Final Voyage of the Enterprise An aging original series cast escapes from a retirement home, only to be lured back by the promise of tapioca pudding. * See: The Muppet Show Pigs in space Pigs in space was a mixed parody of both Star Trek and old science fiction serials. It was a repeated skit on The Muppet Show and involved the adventures of a number of pigs on a space ship known as the USS Swinetrek. * See: In the Muppets Tonight spin-off during the 1990's, Pigs in Space returned as Deep Dish Nine: The Next Generation of Pigs In Space. * See: Mystery Science Theater 3000 Although Mystery Science Theater 3000 (or MST3K) has made many references to Star Trek, one episode in particular, #611 "Last of the Wild Horses" spoofs the episode "Mirror, Mirror" (TOS). The evil mad scientist Dr. Forrester attempts a matter transference experiment during an ion storm, switching the robots Tom Servo and Gypsy with their mirror counterparts. They find themselves in the mad scientists' lair, Deep 13 with an Evil Mike Nelson sporting a goatee beard and an evil robot Crow. Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank are nice in this universe and are subjected to watch bad movies on the Satellite of Love, or SOL. Evil Mike tries to discipline Evil Crow with his agonizer, but the batteries are dead, and the agony booth is out of order. Meanwhile the Evil Servo and Gypsy are on the real SOL. Evil Servo pulls a dagger on Mike to take control of the SOL.Evil Gypsy seduces Evil Servo, to be his "captain's woman". The real Gypsy and Servo ask the mirror universe computer how to return things to normal and eventually do. The real mad scientists enjoy the agony booth a little too much. : Look closely and you'll see a modified Terran Empire logo on Evil Servo's upper body, with the SOL through the Earth. Fan MST-ing of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Around the time William Shatner released Star Trek V, a TV show from Minnesota called Mystery Science Theater 3000 was gaining popularity for its skewering of awful old movies. It was a match made in heaven. The only trouble was the producers of MST3K couldn't afford an 'A' movie like Star Trek V. So it fell to fans to do what needed to be done. Although the host segments are a little brief, the quality is comparable to KTMA-era MST3k (1988).The invention exchange includes a do-it-yourself Shatnerizing kit; complete with toupee, girdle, and a copy of "Mr. Tamborine Man". Filmed and released November 1992 Produced and Directed by Ryan K. Johnson * See: Fan MST-ing of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier Satellite News - The Official Mystery Science Theater 3000 Web Site Robot Chicken Robot Chicken is a parody series on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim that features action figures instead of animated characters. Bloopers in Space In the very first episode aired, William Shatner/Captain Kirk figure arrives on a model of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS Enterprise]] bridge via the turbolift. As he is exiting the lift, the doors shut close on his privates. The doors open again to show Kirk in excrutiating pain as he falls to his knees. The lift doors then close two more times on his head, and as Kirk continues grabbing his crotch and groaning in pain, a Leonard Nimoy/Spock figure steps up and begins laughing hysterically. Two Kirks, a Khan, and a Pizza Place The very first episode produced, however, featured Captain Kirk and Khan Noonien Singh running a pizza joint with Growing Pains actor Kirk Cameron. This skit was entitled Two Kirks, a Khan, and a Pizza Place which also parodied the ABC series, Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. While Cameron tosses some dough in the background, Khan is ringing up a customer at the cash register. Captain Kirk steps up beside Khan, bringing a soft drink for the customer and placing it on the counter. As Khan hands the customers their change, he accidently knocks over the drink Kirk just brought. Enraged, Kirk yells out "Khaaaan!" (an obvious parody of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). A second scream is heard as the customers run out of the pizza joint. Saturday Night Live The Last Voyage of the Enterprise ]] SNL featured a Star Trek parody entitled "The Last Voyage of the Enterprise". It starred John Belushi as Captain Kirk, Chevy Chase as Spock, and Dan Aykroyd as Dr. McCoy. The Enterprise is pursued through space by a 20th Century automobile. A passenger from the vehicle (played by host Elliott Gould) boards the Enterprise and informs the actors that Star Trek has been cancelled. : "I want my ears back! I want my ears back!" - Chevy Chase (as Spock) Khan and the health inspector Another parody was done in 1986 when William Shatner hosted. The Enterprise crew opens a restaurant which is threatened when Khan brings a health inspector to the restaurant, though Kirk resolves the situation by slipping the inspector a bribe. Shatner, of course, played Kirk, Kevin Nealon played Spock, Phil Hartman played McCoy, and Dana Carvey played Khan. "Get a Life!" Sketch on SNL ]] on SNL ]] A much more infamous sketch was also featured during Shatner's appearance on the show. Not so much a parody, it featured Shatner as the guest of honor at a Star Trek convention. After being asked a barrage of trivial questions by the audience, Shatner finally berates them to "get a life!", telling them it was only a TV show. After finishing his rant (and being reminded of his contractual obligations by the convention manager) Shatner quickly explains the rant was a reenactment of the "evil" Captain Kirk from "The Enemy Within" The scene apparently caused some fans to believe these were his true feeling for Star Trek fans though he has assured them it was only a sketch. The sketch did, however, inspire the title for his book Get a Life! * See: Get A Life! Love Boat: The Next Generation Yet another was done in 1994, when Patrick Stewart hosted, in a skit called "Love Boat: The Next Generation" (parodizing both TNG and The Love Boat). Essentially, it involved the USS Enterprise-D crew running the Love Boat. Stewart, of course, played Captain Picard, Chris Farley played Riker, Rob Schneider played Data, Phil Hartman played Worf, and Tim Meadows played Geordi (although he acts more like the character of Isaac from The Love Boat). Instead of Dr. Crusher, however, the sketch featured a cameo by actor Bernie Kopell, reprising his role as Dr. Adam Bricker from The Love Boat. Rescue 911 spoof Another semi-parody involved a spoof of Rescue 911 which was hosted by William Shatner at the time. Michael McKean played Patrick Stewart, filling in for Shatner and also features a brief appearance and the end of the sketch by Tim Meadows as Geordi. * See: The Simpsons "Bart of Darkness" The Itchy and Scratchy cartoon in this episode is a parody of The Cage and The Menagerie, with Itchy resembling the aliens from Talos IV and possessing strong telepathic and telekenetic abilities. "Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie" The family sees a trailer and clips from the latest Original series film, Star Trek XII: So Very Tired, which depicts an elderly and senile cast. "Lisa's Wedding" In this episode, Hugh's watch makes identical noises as a TOS tricorder, Troy McClure's uniform is identical to the TOS uniforms, and the nuclear power plant resembles and makes the same noises as the Enterprise. "Grampa vs. Sexual Inadequacy" After Grandpa Simpson begins selling a sexual enhancement tonic, all of the adults disappear and leave the children wandering around (TOS: Miri) "Two Dozen & One Greyhounds" A clerk at a pet store performs a "human-dog mind meld" on Santa's Little Helper. Other references and minor parodies *In "Homer vs. Patty and Selma" and "Itchy and Scratchy Land" the couch gag shows the family transporting onto the couch using transporters seen in TNG. *In "Das Bus", Comic Book Guy downloads a nude photo of Captain Janeway. South Park , in a 2260s-era ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701) operations division commander Starfleet uniform. (South Park)]]South Park is awash in Star Trek references. The four episodes below parody Star Trek plot elements at some length. "City on the Edge of Forever" In this 1998 episode, named after a famous Star Trek episode (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever"), the kid who just happens to be wearing the red shirt complete with arrowhead insignia, is the one chosen to scout the area around the schoolbus (which is teetering on the edge of a cliff). He promptly gets eaten by the monster. (See also: redshirt) "Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods" This episode, also from 1998, takes many of the plot points from the TOS episode "Dagger of the Mind". The crazed director of the Tantalus V. Observatory, armed with his own neural neutralizer, hypnotizes some of the children, and Mr. Garrison, in his torture chair. "Spooky Fish" This episode, again from 1998, parodies the TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror". The boys find an alternate, evil universe. The evil Cartman from the mirror universe - actually a good Cartman, because the Cartman from the "standard" universe is the evil one - has a goatee, which is a requirement for those from a mirror universe. Everyone from the evil universe has one. "Wacky Molestation Adventure" This one, from 2000, winds up being a parody of the TOS episode "Miri". All the adults have been arrested- the children have accused all of them of molestation. The children take over the town, inventing a twisted new society with disturbing rites like the one they call "Carousel." When two visitors wander into South Park and ask where the adults are, the kids don't know what they mean. "Oh, you mean the birthgivers." "That was in the Before time, in the long long ago." And when the male adult visitor realizes what has happened, he tells the children where they have gone wrong, changes their mind, and sets them on the path to restoring the town...by giving a long, pleading, show-stopping speech in the lurching, breathless classic style of William Shatner. Pure TOS. *'See:' Spaceballs The Mel Brooks film Spaceballs parodied several popular sci-fi movies including Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, and Planet of the Apes. Several moments of Trek-ness stand out in particular. First, there is a short scene with a Scottish engineer named "Snotty" whom Commanderette Zircon (played by future DS9 guest star Leslie Bevis) says "beamed her twice last night". After Zircon suggests President Skroob be transported to the command deck, Skroob says "What the hell? It works on Star Trek. "Snotty" beams Skroob about fifteen feet into the next room only to find he has beamed the president's head on backwards. The merchandising scene -which included Spaceballs: The Toilet Paper, Spaceballs: The Cereal, and Spaceballs: The Flame Thrower - was poking fun at the innumerable merchandising ventures made under the Trek brand, modeling its naming convention after Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Later, Lonestar, the hero, attempts to do the Vulcan neck pinch unsuccessfully. The guard he's doing it to corrects him and he knocks the guard unconscious. as an angry soldier.]] For the record, the film also features Tim Russ in one of his first screen roles as one of several soldiers literally "combing the desert" (using ridiculously oversized combs) for the escaped prisoners. When asked about his progress, Russ' character angrily responds "We ain't found sh*t!" *'See': Star Wreck Star Wreck is a series of Finnish Star Trek fan-made parodies. The first Star Wreck was a 5 minute long animation created in 1992. SW 2 came out in 1994. SW 1 thru 4 were all animated. But 5, 4 and a half, and 6 were made using live action photography. The sixth in the series, Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning '', was released August 20, 2005 as a 2-hour long film, the longest to date, and is available as a free download from the Star Wreck website (see below). As of late November 2005, the movie was downloaded 3.5 million times, making it the most popular Finnish movie in history. (The second most popular is 1955's ''The Unknown Soldier, with 2.8 million viewers, according to Reuters.) SW 6 stars Samuli Torssonen, who is also the creator and producer, as Captain Pirk; Timo Vuorensola, who directed, as Lt. Dwarf ; and Rudi Airisto as Cmdr. Info. The film is in Finnish with English subtitles. * See: The offical Star Wreck website The Wonder Years The X-Files The pre-titles sequence in The X-Files episode "Dreamland II" features a flashback to Fox Mulder's youth. The character is seen wearing a blue Starfleet uniform from Star Trek: The Original Series and pointed Vulcan ears, both much like Spock. "Weird" Al Yankovic Weird Al - the Prince of Parody, has played on Star Trek several times in his songs. Some verified references: * Quote: "...Suddenly I'm bowling on the Starship Enterprise..." Song: Stuck In A Closet With Vanna White Album: Even Worse * Quote: "...I'm not even welcome at the Star Trek convention..." Song: Genius In France Album: Poodle Hat * Quote: "...Seen each Star Trek eighty times..." Song: Gee, I'm A Nerd; Album: Tour song, never realeased. =Other Cartoon Parody= * The cartoon EEK! The Cat had a parody of Star Trek even down to a redshirt getting hit by a boulder. In the parody, Eek captained the U.S.S. Shoesuntied. * "Mad Magazine" parody called "Star Blech!". * An episode of Tiny Toons had the famous starship (commanded by Plucky Duck) looking for replacement hair for the captain's toupee (no doubt a joke on Shatner's alleged replacement hair). * An episode of Animaniacs made fun of the singing careers of Shatner ("Willie Slackner") and Nimoy (complete with pointy ears). Another episode included the Animnaniacs being beamed aboard the Original Enterprise, and wreaking havoc amongst the crew. Certain gags included Wakko introducing Scotty to doughnuts, thus causing him to become portly and have a pink frosting moustache, as well as when Khan appears Dot comments, "Ooooh, it's Ricardo Montalban and his big plastic chest!" (An obvious parody of the fan rumor that Montalban's Chest in Star Trek II was a Prosthetic Appliance, and not his actual physique). * Sev Trek by John Cook, is a web comic parody of Star Trek (as well as many other popular sci-fi shows) from The Original Series to Voyager. Additional References * Star Trek references at Wikipedia Parodies fr:Clins d'oeil